Software Engineer, Planner Architecture

Who we are

Aurora’s mission is to deliver the benefits of self-driving technology safely, quickly, and broadly.

The Aurora Driver will create a new era in mobility and logistics, one that will bring a safer, more efficient, and more accessible future to everyone.

At Aurora, you will tackle massively complex problems alongside other passionate, intelligent individuals, growing as an expert while expanding your knowledge. For the latest news from Aurora, visit aurora.tech or follow us on LinkedIn.

Aurora hires talented people with diverse backgrounds who are ready to help build a transportation ecosystem that will make our roads safer, get crucial goods where they need to go, and make mobility more efficient and accessible for all. We are looking for a Software Engineer to partner with our Planner Architecture team on this exciting journey. The Planner Architecture Team owns the software framework and systems integration that houses Aurora's core motion planning algorithms on the vehicle. The team defines and drives the world representation, data structures, and APIs for the Motion Planner, ensuring software quality, robustness, and real-time performance through continuous latency burn-down and architectural optimization. The team also develops the specialized tooling and infrastructure required to identify suboptimal on-road driving behaviors, enabling rapid diagnosis and data collection to improve the Aurora Driver.

In this role you will

• Collaborate within the Autonomy Integration group and with stakeholders across various autonomy subsystems to drive cross-functional design and implementation.

• Develop software that directly influences the on-road behavior of autonomous vehicles, including architecting the framework and interfaces that core Motion Planning algorithms integrate into.

• Build onboard infrastructure for detecting and capturing interesting scenarios and anomalous behaviors to accelerate the improvement of the autonomy stack.

• Enhance Planner robustness and maintainability by reducing faults and improving the flexibility, composability, and testability of the system.

• Architect and optimize code paths to minimize latency in safety-critical components, ensuring the Planner meets real-time constraints.

• Improve the Planner’s world representation and data encoding to support both learned and engineered planning approaches.

Required Qualifications

• Expertise in Modern C++, specifically for latency-sensitive and safety-critical applications.

• 2+ years of applied industry experience in software engineering, with a focus on robotics or distributed/asynchronous systems.

• Ability to thrive in a highly cross-functional environment, with the technical versatility to contribute across diverse domains ranging from software architecture and algorithms to data analysis and system validation.

• Solid understanding of software engineering best practices, including architecture design, code maintainability, test-driven development, and requirements verification.

• Demonstrated ability to execute independently: estimating work accurately, delivering on schedule, and communicating blockers effectively.

• Proficiency in Python for scripting, data analysis, and automation.

Desirable Qualifications

• An advanced degree in Robotics, Computer Science, or related fields, or equivalent professional experience in autonomous vehicles or robotics domains.

• Familiarity with Motion Planning algorithms or control systems within automotive, aerospace, robotics, or similar domains.

• Experience working in a regulated, safety-critical environment utilizing systems engineering or requirements-driven development methodologies.

The base salary range for this position is $126K - $181.5K per year. Aurora’s pay ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within the range, the successful candidate’s starting base pay will be determined based on factors including job-related skills, experience, qualifications, relevant education or training, and market conditions. These ranges may be modified in the future. The successful candidate will also be eligible for an annual bonus, equity compensation, and benefits.

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Working at Aurora
At Aurora, we bring together extraordinarily talented and experienced people united by the strength of our values. We operate with integrity, set outrageous goals, and build a culture where we win together — all without any jerks.

We believe in-person work increases collaboration, empathy and our ability to lead effectively. As a result, we operate in a hybrid work environment where Aurorans are in office at least 3 days per week.

Our Careers page provides insight into what it is like to work at Aurora, and you can find all the latest updates in our Newsroom.

Our commitment to safety

At the core of everything we do is our commitment to safety. Building best-in-class self-driving technology will take time, and we believe that each employee at Aurora has a role in contributing to safety, every step of the way. Aurora expects commitment to our safety policies from every employee, and seeks candidates who take an active responsibility, can contribute to building an atmosphere of trust, and invest in the organization’s long-term success by prioritizing working safely, no matter what.

Our commitment to inclusion

Aurora considers candidates without regard to their race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy status, parent or caregiver status, ancestry, political affiliation, veteran and/or military status, physical or mental disability, or any other status protected by federal or state law. Aurora considers qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state, and local law. We are also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at [email protected].

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